The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO announced the registration of the Hidden Christian Sites in Nagasaki and Kumamoto as World Heritage Sites. A dozen of locations related to the persecution of Japanese Christians from the 17th to 19th centuries are now included in the World Heritage list. The sites demonstrated how Japanese Christians maintained their faith during the Edo period. They are located mainly in Nagasaki Prefecture while one of the sites is located in Amakusa, Kumamoto. The sites include Oura Church and Hara Castle Ruins (Nagasaki) as well as Sakitsu Church (Kumamoto). The advisory body of UNESCO, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), commented that the sites in Nagasaki exemplify how Japanese Christians practiced their faith in secret while under persecution. The Hidden Christian Sites will be the 22nd UNESCO heritage site in Japan. Source: Yomiuri Shimbun, 6/30/2018
Photo: Oura Church. Source: 663highland
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